I personally see it that ghosts/paranormal/etc do not exist, and never have done, them arising from tales and legends in the past.

For example, one might say ghosts have the ability to go through walls and can float about. However were this possible, then the earth would rotate around the sun and leave the ghost to drift aimlessly in the vacuum of space.

If the ghost had mass however to pull it to the earth, then if it were able to go through solid objects it would be sucked down into the centre of the earth.

I think that the explanation for people to believe in ghosts is many, ranging from loss of a loved one that cannot be accepted to a simple fear of a wild animal intending to cause harm. (Look behind you, even if you don't look, you feel a compulsion to look behind you despite knowing nothing is behind you.) The heightened alertness humans had in the stone age may have caused them to see and hear things not there, which may have helped in a number of cases with regards to survival. (And probably the reason for the arising of things such as religion or psyhics.)

Whilst ghosts have been well documented throughout history, so has stories of fire breathing dragons or one eyed giants. Many cases can be ascribed to many fascinating mental illness- I mean insights into the supernatural.

Sleep paralysis is something well understood and documented now, along with seeing things out the corner of the eye, hallucinations, paranoia, ailments such as Ergotism (This causing hallucinations due to poisioning from various grain products infected with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claviceps_purpurea ) In the past however, these were not yet well understood. Often they were attributed to anything from ghosts to the devil.

Today unfortuately we still have people who place ghosts as the first cause of something rather than look for a natural explanation. (For there is no supernatural, only the natural not yet explained.) We unfortuately still have assholes who pretend to speak to dead people for the greiving whom wish to talk to loved ones. Weegee boards are still mass produced with the genuine belief that they can be used to communicate with the dead. Frankly this is disgusting and shameful behaviour, as these frauds are making up lies in order to deceive people (Ones who relatives died no less) in order to acquire money.

That is my rant. The human brain is an organic organ that ceases activity on death, and does not create a spirtual entity that haunts the world. (Plus come to think of it, why would they communicate to us in such bizarre ways such as weegee boards or scaring the shit out of family members?)

I was skeptical until I had a personal experience a few years ago. I believe ghosts exist now, but I can't figure out how or why. Then again, there's so much more to the universe that mankind hasn't even touched on so possibilities are endless.

I was skeptical until I had a personal experience a few years ago. I believe ghosts exist now, but I can't figure out how or why. Then again, there's so much more to the universe that mankind hasn't even touched on so possibilities are endless.

If ghosts and "souls" are real, I'd very much like to know what the hell they're made out of that allows them to go through solid objects and carry on their thought processes without any need of sustenance.

I'd be so very excited if there was a field of science called Ectobiology, but the huge jump in logic needed to believe that every living thing has some sorta metaphysical-half that can't be tested just throws the possibility of such a field out the window.

I don't think there is any harm in letting someone believe such things, but the truth of the matter is that such things just don't hold water when put to the test, in fact, there IS nothing to test.

I want to believe, since my cat acts very strangely the past couple of days. She would stare into the void for minutes as if something is right in front of her. Then when I approach and am about to pet her or touch her in any way, she notices and starts to freak out and run away.

I mean, it could be her just being retarded but I once saw her following something with her head as if something was walking by.

Well yesh, I've had a bunch of spooky encounters both in my house and other places, but once you experience something like meeting a ghost it becomes... normal, even disturbingly normal. It's a very strange feeling when you know that one day something supercreepy might happen to you again, but there isn't much fear in there. Ehh, I suck at explaining these kinds of phenomenons because doing that always sounds quite silly and fake, especially on the internet.

Does anyone else have/had similar situation when getting involved in some paranormal shit becomes something obvious or obligatory, happening like few times a year? I might post some of my experiences later, already done that in the other 'creepy stuff that happened...' thread

If ghosts and "souls" are real, I'd very much like to know what the hell they're made out of that allows them to go through solid objects and carry on their thought processes without any need of sustenance.

They're made of pure imaginarium, the most elusive substance in the universe.

Edited:

Needless to say, I think ghosts are bullshit. There's no rational explanation for why they should exist, or be able to exist.

I have never believed in anything paranormal personally. There hasn't been any rational explanations, or the like. If someone gave a concrete way to prove that ghosts exist than I would take that in to mind.

And that's not even touching on some of the "paradoxes" that immaterial beings present. Since ghosts are immaterial and can pass through things, and not all centered at the core of the earth, they are obviously not affected by gravity, which in turn means that they travel at speeds faster than that of our planet, so it looks like they are standing in one spot or walking.

Edited:

so in reality all ghosts are space ghosts, flying through the universe at 107,172+ km/h

And that's not even touching on some of the "paradoxes" that immaterial beings present. Since ghosts are immaterial and can pass through things, and not all centered at the core of the earth, they are obviously not affected by gravity, which in turn means that they travel at speeds faster than that of our planet, so it looks like they are standing in one spot or walking.

Edited:

so in reality all ghosts are space ghosts, flying through the universe at 107,172+ km/h

There are many things that are bullshit when it comes to dealing with the paranormal and ghosts (like Ouigi boards for example and SOME "psychics") but at the same time there are some things that science just cannot explain. I think we can all accept that there just isn't an explanation for every case.

I'll go so far as even say that it's ignorant to assume that science has the answer for everything regarding the paranormal and "ghosts". What if it's just a matter that our current scientific understanding is actually too young to properly understand the paranormal? What's stopping us from one day finding a proper name to "ghosts" and defining what it may actually be?

Personally, I'm on the fence. On one hand it's interesting to hear stories about incidents involve the paranormal and chilling but at the same time it also adds skepticism.

I want to believe, since my cat acts very strangely the past couple of days. She would stare into the void for minutes as if something is right in front of her. Then when I approach and am about to pet her or touch her in any way, she notices and starts to freak out and run away.

I mean, it could be her just being retarded but I once saw her following something with her head as if something was walking by.

There are many things that are bullshit when it comes to dealing with the paranormal and ghosts (like Ouigi boards for example and SOME "psychics") but at the same time there are some things that science just cannot explain. I think we can all accept that there just isn't an explanation for every case.

I'll go so far as even say that it's ignorant to assume that science has the answer for everything regarding the paranormal and "ghosts". What if it's just a matter that our current scientific understanding is actually too young to properly understand the paranormal? What's stopping us from one day finding a proper name to "ghosts" and defining what it may actually be?

Personally, I'm on the fence. On one hand it's interesting to hear stories about incidents involve the paranormal and chilling but at the same time it also adds skepticism.

Science is not the answer. It is a method of acquiring knowledge.

What most rational people find is that when they use this excellent, objective and accurate method of acquiring knowledge, they find there are no ghosts.

You can observe something, and come up with an idea that maybe it is a ghost. You then test this out to see if you are correct. If you do find that ghosts exist, then you can develop it further into a theory and do more experiments to find out more in this field.

However what also happens, is that you do not find your test results match your initial conclusion based on observation. So you have to work back and revise your original idea.

You could have a cold spot in a room with no explanation. Initially you think it is a ghost, so to to prove this you need to look at the area and examine the possible causes.

What it most likely might turn out to be, is poor insulation that causes the spot. You could check this by making another situation with a poorly insulated room. If the results are the same, and then you insulate that spot properly and the cold spot vanishes, then it is not a ghost but merely poor insulation.

I'll go so far as even say that it's ignorant to assume that science has the answer for everything regarding the paranormal and "ghosts". What if it's just a matter that our current scientific understanding is actually too young to properly understand the paranormal? What's stopping us from one day finding a proper name to "ghosts" and defining what it may actually be?

Not ignorance at all, there are people who have spent lives researching the matter through an objective lens, and based on the collected results of many of their conclusions we find that ghosts are simply not real.

While I have a strong interest in the paranormal, I'm also a strong skeptic. UFOs in general is kind of the one thing I linger on in the area of paranormal things, but I've never been convinced by ghosts.

As you can see form my post in the bigfoot thread:

Sources and my credibility on this matter:
In addition to being one of three moderators on TinWiki, AboveTopSecret's (the world's largest alternative/paranormal/etc forum and community) wiki when it was still running-

I've had quite a bit of research into the paranormal, but I've never came across anything convincing as far as ghosts. Cryptozoology has some credibility with some creatures in remote locations, and like I said- I've still got half a foot in the UFO camp on my way out the door to being a skeptic, part of it because of a personal experience, part of it because I've read about some cases that are rather hard to dismiss. I've also had a personal 'experience' involving 'ghosts', but there's just too many factors in that experience to say it was paranormal.

I had an argument about ghosts with somebody once. She said that energy cannot be created or destroyed so, the when people die they energy is the ghost.

I tried to explain that any "energy" just decays into the earth with your bodies matter and that thermodynamics was nothing like that and I tried explaining entropy. But alas she was uneducated and watched one to many episodes of Fringe, like all of you in this thread.

I was skeptical until I had a personal experience a few years ago. I believe ghosts exist now, but I can't figure out how or why. Then again, there's so much more to the universe that mankind hasn't even touched on so possibilities are endless.

I had an argument about ghosts with somebody once. She said that energy cannot be created or destroyed so, the when people die they energy is the ghost.

I tried to explain that any "energy" just decays into the earth with your bodies matter and that thermodynamics was nothing like that and I tried explaining entropy. But alas she was uneducated and watched one to many episodes of Fringe, like all of you in this thread.

Your mind fills in the "gaps" of reality when sensory input is disrupted. When your mind fucks up with this process and makes up illogical shit you get a "supernatural experience" or dejavu, and tend to make up predators such as ghosts b/c of our evolutionary impulses such as what Satane said.

Anyways, go study nomena and phenomena in philosophy if you want proof that such things are metaphysically impossible to be related to each other. It's all in your mind.

It's really sad how many people in the world don't understand their own mind. :(

We used to live in this old house we bought from some lady and her parents died in it.

My sister used to say sometimes at night she would see and old man and sometimes a woman at the end of her bed looking at her.

We also me and my two sisters have been pushed while going down a hall more than once, and our dog would always look down the hall and growl at night for hours...More little things would happen as well like the TV turning on by it's self more than once.

To this day I will not go into that motherfucking house by myself fuck that shit.

I want to believe, since my cat acts very strangely the past couple of days. She would stare into the void for minutes as if something is right in front of her. Then when I approach and am about to pet her or touch her in any way, she notices and starts to freak out and run away.

I mean, it could be her just being retarded but I once saw her following something with her head as if something was walking by.

i really dont like the theory that animals can see ghosts and that is why they look at seemingly invisible objects.
if you want to argue that cats have better hearing and eyesight then dont forget that they are probably able to see specs of dust flying through the air we arent noticing or hearing the sound of an insect crawling around on the floor.

We used to live in this old house we bought from some lady and her parents died in it.

My sister used to say sometimes at night she would see and old man and sometimes a woman at the end of her bed looking at her.

We also me and my two sisters have been pushed while going down a hall more than once, and our dog would always look down the hall and growl at night for hours...More little things would happen as well like the TV turning on by it's self more than once.

To this day I will not go into that motherfucking house by myself fuck that shit.

People that say ghosts exist need to understand the lengths your brain will go just to have something to process. Find a way to turn off your other senses and your brain will create for itself. Once you understand that you start seeing things that aren't there less and less.

I saw a ghost once but upon closer inspection it was just the boring old skeleton popping out of my closet.

However there was that news report a few years ago of a white man figure walking through King Henry's exhibition security camera and pissing the pants of the guards there

Did one guard see it initially, or all at once? If one guard initially, then most likely that guard thought something was a ghost and told their peers. Their peers would then be on the lookout for "Ghost like entities" that could actually be a faulty camera.

Also personal experiences don't really mean much. That person most likely saw their own shadow and got scared in the process.

Did one guard see it initially, or all at once? If one guard initially, then most likely that guard thought something was a ghost and told their peers. Their peers would then be on the lookout for "Ghost like entities" that could actually be a faulty camera.

Also personal experiences don't really mean much. That person most likely saw their own shadow and got scared in the process.

No it was recorded on footage and most of the guards saw it before hi-tailing out of there. Don't believe it one bit but I found it interesting that something must of happened to trigger those camera's to be faulty